Charge station queue management

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and a system for management of electric vehicle charging station queues. The method includes maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electric vehicle charging station in a queue defining an order of electric vehicles to be charged at the electric vehicle charging station and sensing that a charging vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station and associated with a first vehicle operator has completed a charging process. The method further includes notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted vacation time period in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the charging vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station and increasing the cost associated with continued charging of the charging vehicle if the charging vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle charging station within the allotted vacation time.

1 . A method of management of an electric vehicle charging station comprising:
 maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electric vehicle charging station in a queue defining an order of electric vehicles to be charged at the electric vehicle charging station;   automatically sensing that a first vehicle at the electric vehicle charging station and associated with a first vehicle operator has completed a charging process;   notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted vacation time period in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the first vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and   automatically increasing the cost associated with continued charging of the first vehicle and enabling a second vehicle operator to anonymously contact the first vehicle operator to request that the first vehicle be moved if the first vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle charging station within the allotted vacation time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 automatically determining that a second vehicle associated with a second vehicle operator is in the queue; 
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate the electric vehicle charging station; 
 determining that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein text within the anonymous contact is predetermined by an administrator of the electric vehicle charging station. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 disabling the electric vehicle charging station for a movement time period allotted for the second vehicle operator to move the second vehicle to the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 reenabling the electric vehicle charging station during the movement time period only for the second vehicle operator. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising reenabling the electric vehicle charging station after the movement time period for (1) a next vehicle in the queue if there is at least one additional vehicle in the queue and (2) any vehicle if there is not at least one vehicle operator in the queue. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising notifying the second vehicle operator of the location of the electric vehicle charging station and a movement time period during which the electric vehicle charge station is reserved for use by the second vehicle operator. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the second vehicle is at the top of the queue based upon a selected one of: (1) membership in a group with priority access to the electric vehicle charging station, (2) a willingness to pay a higher price for access to the electric vehicle charging station, (3) a willingness to accept throttled electrical output from the electric vehicle charging station for at least a part of a charging session. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining that there are no electric vehicles in the queue before notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted time in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the first vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 enabling the electric vehicle charging station for any electric vehicle after the first electric vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
 
     
     
         10 . An electric vehicle charging station management system comprising:
 a computing device for:
 determining that a first vehicle associated with a first vehicle operator has vacated an electric vehicle charging station; 
 determining that a second vehicle associated with a second vehicle operator is in a queue; 
 and 
   a communications system for:
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate the electric vehicle charging station, 
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
   
     
     
         11 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 10  wherein the computing device is further for enabling the second vehicle operator to anonymously contact the first vehicle operator to request that the first vehicle be moved. 
     
     
         12 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 11  wherein text within the anonymous contact is predetermined by an administrator of the electric vehicle charging station. 
     
     
         13 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 10  wherein the computing device is further for:
 disabling the electric vehicle charging station for a movement time period allotted for the second vehicle operator to move the second vehicle to the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 reenabling the electric vehicle charging station during the movement time period only for the second vehicle operator. 
 
     
     
         14 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 13  wherein the computing device is further for reenabling the electric vehicle charging station after the movement time period for (1) a next electric vehicle in the queue if there is at least one additional vehicle in the queue and (2) any vehicle if there is not at least one vehicle operator in the queue. 
     
     
         15 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 14  wherein the communications system is further for notifying the second vehicle operator of the location of the electric vehicle charging station and a movement time period during which the electric vehicle charge station is reserved for use by the second vehicle operator. 
     
     
         16 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 10  wherein the second vehicle operator is at the top of the queue based upon a selected one of: (1) membership in a group with priority access to the electric vehicle charging station, (2) a willingness to pay a higher price for access to the electric vehicle charging station, (3) a willingness to accept throttled electrical output from the electric vehicle charging station for at least a part of a charging session. 
     
     
         17 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 10  wherein the computing device is further for:
 determining that there are no electric vehicles in the queue before notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted time in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the first vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 enabling the electric vehicle charging station for any electric vehicle after the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
 
     
     
         18 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 10  wherein:
 the computing device is further for:
 automatically determining that a second vehicle associated with a second vehicle operator is in the queue, and 
 determining whether the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 
 the communication system is further for:
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate the electric vehicle charging station, and 
 after determining that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station, notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
 
 
     
     
         19 . An electric vehicle charging station management system comprising:
 at least one electric vehicle charging station for providing electric charge to one or more electric vehicles;   a sensor for sensing that a first vehicle associated with a first vehicle operator has completed a charging process;   a computing device for maintaining a plurality of requests to utilize the electric vehicle charging station in a queue defining an order of electric vehicles to be charged at the electric vehicle charging station;   a communications system for notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and of an allotted vacation time period in which the first vehicle operator may vacate from the electric vehicle charging station and enabling the second vehicle operator to anonymously contact the first vehicle operator to request that the charging vehicle be moved; and   the computing device further for automatically increasing the cost associated with continued charging of the first vehicle when the first vehicle is not vacated from the electric vehicle charging station within an allotted vacation time.   
     
     
         20 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 19  wherein:
 the computing device is further for:
 automatically determining that a second vehicle associated with a second vehicle operator is in the queue, and 
 determining whether the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 
 the communication system is further for:
 notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle operator has been asked to vacate the electric vehicle charging station, and 
 after determining that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station, notifying the second vehicle operator that the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station. 
 
 
     
     
         21 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 19  wherein text within the anonymous contact is predetermined by an administrator of the electric vehicle charging station. 
     
     
         22 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 19  wherein the computing device is further for:
 disabling the electric vehicle charging station for a movement time period allotted for the second vehicle operator to move the second vehicle to the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 reenabling the electric vehicle charging station during the movement time period only for the second vehicle operator. 
 
     
     
         23 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 22  wherein the computing device is further for reenabling the electric vehicle charging station after the movement time period for (1) a next electric vehicle in the queue if there is at least one additional vehicle in the queue and (2) any vehicle if there is not at least one vehicle operator in the queue. 
     
     
         24 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 24  wherein the communications system is further for notifying the second vehicle operator of the location of the electric vehicle charging station and a movement time period during which the electric vehicle charge station is reserved for use by the second vehicle operator. 
     
     
         25 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 19  wherein the second vehicle operator is at the top of the queue based upon a selected one of: (1) membership in a group with priority access to the electric vehicle charging station, (2) a willingness to pay a higher price for access to the electric vehicle charging station, (3) a willingness to accept throttled electrical output from the electric vehicle charging station for at least a part of a charging session. 
     
     
         26 . The electric vehicle charging station management system of  claim 19  wherein the computing device is further for:
 determining that there are no electric vehicles in the queue before notifying the first vehicle operator that the charging process is completed and providing an allotted time in which the first vehicle operator may vacate the first vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station; and 
 enabling the electric vehicle charging station for any electric vehicle after the first vehicle has vacated the electric vehicle charging station.